HELP RAT VERY ILL SUDDENLY

Question
QUESTION: PLEASE HELP; tonight after dinner, I went to go take my rat, Rhubarb out of
his cage to play, and he seemed very lethargic and odd. He seems weak and
just a few moments ago started havig these strage sort of jerking movements,
almost like convulsions, but not quite. His little jaw is moving in odd ways. We
would take him to the vet but it is 11pm here and there arent' any emergency
vets.



ANSWER: How is he today?  Do you have a good exotic vet for him and if not, let me know your location and I can find one.  He may have had a stroke. That doesnt me he needs put down,though.  He can be given steroid for any inflammation etc..that could help him get his strength back etc..
How old is he?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sandra,
Thank you for your answer. Rhubarb was 14 months old. Unfortunately,
about 30 minutes after I posted my question, he died in my husbands and my
arms. I am devastated but glad we were with him. He was a very special boy.



ANSWER: I am so sorry for your loss.  

I went over the first post again and read it and realized it was not indicative of a stroke. The jaw movements and possible convulsion type movements point to a bran aneurysm. I have lost my younger males this way and we have reports of the same type of behavior from patients too.  His lethargy showed he was probably already losing consciousness.  Did he remain very limp after you wrote me?

I know this is hard to think about.  If you want closure let me know and you can tell me what transpired after you wrote.  He was very young, too young for a stroke.   Again I am sorry for your loss.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sandra,
I really would love some closure, not that it's going to stop my tears..
The reason i interripted dinner to take him out of his cage is because he
became very agitated- he was banging against the top of his cage, trying to
get out. When I pocked him up he was weak and quiet, and his tummy  
looked bloated a bit... Not incredibly but definitely more than usual.Anyway,
while we were holding him he got progressively weaker. He was making
movements like he was uncomfortable and would only sit completely still
when we were petting his head. This went on for about 25 minutes, when my
husband picked him up. His tail started flailing when he moved a little bit, and
that's when he started moving his jaw in such strange ways. He would open
his mouth, move his jaw sideways and then close on again. After about 5
minutes of this, he leaned in to my husband and passed away.
Any insight is appreciated. I am distraught.

Answer
How sad.....reading this was hard, it sent me back to some of my rats that I have loved and lost too, esp the part where they frantically try to get out of the cage.  They do this beause they want us to comfort them.   I keep changing what I think happened but to be honest we may never know without a necropsy done *usually free by the vet unless you want samples sent in to labs but a good vet can see if the problem is right there in front of him such as bad lungs, heart etc...)

This was acute, and with acute we usually think that the condition  went from point A to point B in a matter of 30 mins.   
Years back, I had my favorite boy, Peanut out to play. Nothing unusual went on and so after a bit I put him back i his cage. He took his yogi and ran to the top level to hide if for later as usual. All of a sudden I hear this strange noise that was totally unfamiliar and I looked right to the rabbits cage thinking he was making some weird sound.  My son cried out  "Mom its PEANUT!!!!!"  and I ran to his cage.  He was dead.  Just like that. Gone. Eyes still open, tongue out and I noted he was also cyanotic (blue extremities including the tongue)  I thought at first he did eat the yogi and perhaps choked which freaked me out big time to think I lost my beloved Peanut from choking......but it didnt make sense he would die that fast if he was choking.  I knew right way it was a massive heart attack.  Necropsy showed I was correct. so I lost my beloved 14 month old boy to a heart attack.  I have lost others that were in a panic, trying to get to me and died in my arms.   Your boy felt it coming and knew something was wrong.  I still suspect aneurysm as my first guess but it could have been heart related too.  The bloated abdomen can point to heart attack too, but he could have had an internal aneurysm even in his belly.  So those are the two scenerios really.  The comforting thing is he was with you and that is what he wanted. Do I think he could have been saved by a vet if you would have gone in to one:  No, I dont think so. Whatever it was, it took his life too fast so it had progressed to the point of no return. I have seen it so many times.....we try in vain to save them, exhausting all options and they die anyhow and we kick ourselves for prolonging the inevitable.  I am glad he passed with you. I always wish that rats can pass within the arms of their loving owners.   

I hope your heart heals fast.   Do you have more rats?